University of Hawaii Vice President Sam Callejo to retire

Callejo will conclude more than 20 years of public service at the end of the year

HONOLULU — University of Hawaiʻi Vice President for Administration Sam Callejo will be retiring at the end of the year after more than 20 years in public service in various capacities for the City and County of Honolulu and the State of Hawaiʻi, the last six of which have been at the University of Hawaiʻi.

"Sam Callejo has been an invaluable member of our leadership team during his tenure at the University of Hawaiʻi," said UH President David McClain. "He is the consummate professional, committed to the university and the welfare of our students. Sam‘s dedication to service has helped see UH through some very challenging times, and has created a number of exciting opportunities for us. We‘ll miss him greatly, and we sincerely appreciate all he‘s done for UH, his alma mater."

Callejo was instrumental in leading the university‘s response to the October 2004 flood that caused damage approaching $100 million to the UH Mānoa campus and key buildings, including Hamilton Library. Callejo also served as the original lead coordinator overseeing the construction of recent new facilities throughout the university system, including Frear Hall on the Mānoa campus and the John A. Burns School of Medicine in Kakaʻako.

Callejo joined the university in December 2002 as director of capital improvement projects, then became chief of staff in mid-2003, in which capacity he provided executive leadership, vision and management in non-academic matters as the chief administrative operational officer of the University of Hawaiʻi System and advisor to the president. He became vice president for administration in November 2004.

Prior to joining the university, Callejo served as the administrative director/chief of staff to Governor Benjamin J. Cayetano, where he managed 16 state departments and coordinated with UH and the Department of Education on behalf of the governor.

His extensive knowledge of the public sector at both the state and local levels came through having previously served in various state and county positions, including as comptroller for the State of Hawaiʻi's Department of Accounting and General Services and deputy managing director for the City and County of Honolulu.

Callejo‘s career in engineering began with service as an officer in the U.S. Army's Corps of Engineers, where he was involved in various construction projects in both Vietnam and San Francisco. He went on to various engineering positions in the private sector in California and Hawaiʻi, before beginning his career in public service as director and chief engineer for the City and County of Honolulu‘s Department of Public Works.

Callejo earned his BS in civil engineering from the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa.